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Carlos Beltrán
Carlos Ivan Beltrán ( , bel-''trahn'') (born April 24, 1977 in Manatí, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the New York Mets. Beltran currently has the highest stolen base percentage amongst active players with 250 or more steals. In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen. Graduating from Fernando Callejo High School in , the highly-regarded five tool player was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of that year's amateur baseball draft. Beltrán maintains homes in Port Washington, New York and Manatí. Baseball career Kansas City Royals After selecting Beltrá in the 1995 draft, the Kansas City Royals assigned him to their rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League. Beltrán made his Major League debut on September 14, 1998, playing 15 games. Going into , he won the job as the Royals' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. He displayed significant power by midsummer, and was moved to the #3 slot in the batting order. Beltrán won the American League Rookie of the Year award, batting .293 with 22 home runs, 108 RBI and 27 stolen bases. Injuries restricted Beltrán to 98 games during the season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field position to the popular Johnny Damon. After Damon was traded to the Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job in and recaptured his rookie form. He batted .306 with 24 home runs and 101 RBI in that season, followed by lines of .273-29-105 in and .307-26-100 in . Beltrán became known for starting sluggishly, as in when he batted .194 in April. His luck changed in , as Beltrán began the year with 8 home runs and 19 RBI and was selected as American League Player of the Month for April. Playing for a small market club and represented by agent Scott Boras, Beltrán endured trade rumors through the 2003 and 2004 seasons. As the end of his contract neared, the two sides failed to negotiate a longterm deal. Following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place Montreal Expos, Royals general manager Allard Baird told reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the season. Houston Astros While Beltrán's name was not mentioned specifically by Royals management, the impending free agent was considered the most likely to garner interest from other teams. On June 24, 2004, Beltrán was traded to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal, which also sent relief pitcher Octavio Dotel from the Astros to the Oakland Athletics, while the Royals picked up Oakland minor leagues (pitcher Mike Wood and third-baseman Mark Teahen) and Astros (catcher John Buck). While still a Royal, Beltrán had been selected to the American League starting outfield for the 2004 All-Star Game. After the trade to the National League, he was initially denied a place in the game. However, after NL starter Ken Griffey, Jr. went on the disabled list, Beltrán was named his substitute. Beltrán became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other. In the 2004 MLB playoffs, Beltrán tied Barry Bonds's single postseason record with 8 home runs. He had one in each of the first four games of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a game-winner in Game 4. Following his two home runs in Game 5 of the previous NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, this gave Beltrán five consecutive postseason games with a home run, setting a record. New York Mets 2005 Beltrán's timing was impeccable, because he was a free agent immediately after his torrid postseason ended. Beltrán is what scouts call a "five-tool player", with excellent fielding skills, a good throwing arm, and the ability to hit for average, power, and steal bases. The New York Yankees were tipped as favorites and Beltran offered them a $20 million discount. The Yankees declined and the crosstown New York Mets signed him to a 7-year, $119-million contract, the biggest in franchise history at the time. It was the tenth contract in baseball history to surpass $100 million. On August 11, 2005, Beltrán was seriously injured after colliding head-to-head with fellow Mets outfielder Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball in shallow right center field. Cameron missed the rest of the season with a concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones. Beltrán suffered vertigo for a while, although both players eventually recovered. Beltrán's 2005 season was already perceived as a disappointment before the mishap. A quadriceps injury bothered him most of the season and limited his speed. In 582 at bats, Beltrán's stats included career lows in batting average (.266), home runs (16), runs batted in (78), runs scored (83), and stolen bases (17). Despite these numbers, he was still voted to his second All-Star team. 2006 Carlos Beltrán played for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Bernie Williams, Javier Vazquez, Iván Rodríguez and others on the team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo. Beltrán's 2006 season was an upgrade on his first year in New York. Although he suffered a strained right hamstring early in the year, Beltrán remained relatively healthy. Combined with greater protection in the Mets lineup, this allowed Beltrán to put up better numbers than he did in 2005. Helped by 10 home runs in May, he surpassed his home run total from the previous year before the 2006 season was half over. Beltrán's performance secured him a spot in the 2006 All-Star Game, his third. He was joined by five other Mets, including three other starters. Beltrán was a standout for the NL as the only batter with multiple hits, along with two stolen bases. He scored the go-ahead run that gave the National League a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Beltrán might have been the game's MVP, but the American League came back to win in the 9th inning. Beltrán hit grand slams in consecutive games on July 16 and 18, becoming the 22nd player to do so. Another grand slam at the end of July made him only the third Met to hit three in one season. Beltrán continued to produce with a walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 22, off Cardinals' closer and former Met Jason Isringhausen. It was Beltrán's second walk-off of the season, following a 16th-inning gamewinner against the Phillies. Beltrán's 41 home runs tied the Mets' single season record for homers, matching Todd Hundley's total in 1996. His 127 runs scored gave him sole possession of the Mets' single season franchise mark. He and teammate José Reyes won the Silver Slugger Award at their respective positions. Beltran's defense was also recognized during the 2006 season, as he received his first Gold Glove award. He made only 2 errors in 372 chances to give him a .995 fielding percentage, and recorded 13 outfield assists and 6 double plays. Beltrán came fourth in the National League MVP award voting, behind winner Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman. Returning to the playoffs, Beltrán hit three home runs in the 2006 NLCS, bringing his career playoff total to 11 home runs in 22 games. 2007 In 2007, Beltrán hit below .230 from May to July. However, he improved in August and September, finishing with a .276 batting average and 112 RBI. Batting .282 in September with 8 home runs, 27 RBI and 22 runs scored, he was not one of the prime culprits in the Mets' painful collapse down the stretch. In July, he was named to his 4th All-Star Game appearance and upon the conclusion of the season, pulled off a feat by earning a silver slugger and a gold glove,for the second strait year. 2008 In the final game before the All-Star game Beltrán connected his 15th home run of the season. On August 29 Beltran had all 5 RBIs for the Mets including a grand slam with 2 outs in the 9th to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. The Mets would win this game 5-4. Beltran hit the last and only home run in the final regular season game at Shea Stadium. The home run was a two run shot that tied the game 2-2 against the Florida Marlins. Beltran won his 3rd straight Gold Glove award in the outfield for the Mets. Career earnings As of 2008 season Career statistics }} Accomplishments *American League Rookie of the Year (Kansas City Royals, 1999) *American League Player of the Month (Kansas City Royals, April 2004) *Tied single postseason record for home runs (Astros-8) *Won NL Gold Glove (New York Mets, 2006-2008) *Won NL Silver Slugger (New York Mets, 2006-2007) *Mets single season record holder for runs scored (127) ahead of Edgardo Alfonzo and current teammate José Reyes. *Mets single season record holder for home runs (41) tied with Todd Hundley. *4-time All-Star (2004-2007) *1,000th Run scored (Aug. 12, 2008) * Highest stolen base percentage in MLB (Min of 250 attempts) See also *Players from Puerto Rico in MLB * Top 500 home run hitters of all time * 30-30 club *MLB players with 1,000 runs References External links * | after = Kazuhiro Sasaki}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Players from Puerto Rico Category:Major League Baseball center fielders Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Houston Astros players Category:New York Mets players Category:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winners Category:National League All-Stars Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:2006 World Baseball Classic players of Puerto Rico Category:Center Fielders Category:Outfielders Category:Players Category:30-30 club